Onto Bluer Skies
by JudysRoguery
Summary: A year has passed since Jesse fled from the Nazi compound. He's left his old life behind and is now starting a new one in London.
1. Prologue

**Author's note:**** This is my first fan fiction in this fandom as well as my first here on . For now I'll just post a prologue for the story I'm working on and see if anyone's even remotely interested. After that, I'll see how it goes. I'd really appreciate all kinds of feedback and criticism. (Also, if anyone's interested in proof-reading/being my Beta, I'd super happy.)  
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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

Jesse's cries let the car's windows tremble. Tears streaming down his face, he couldn't decide whether to sob or laugh, he ended up doing everything at the same time. He raced down the highway, eager to get away from the compound that had been his prison for the last 187 days.

After a couple of miles he calmed down a bit and was fighting with himself. He sure as hell didn't want to get caught by the police but he also really desperately needed some goddamned money. The faint police sirens he had heard before had disappeared.

With a sharp turn he left the highway and drove off into the desert.

To his surprise he had found the place quite easily. In the light of the car's headlights he rolled the barrel of money towards the back of the car. He was struggling to get it into the trunk due to the constant pain in his body and his underfed muscles. Swearing he finally managed to haul it up.

As quickly as possible he jumped back into the car and drove back toward the highway.

**374 days later**

London's skyline was lit up by the warm September sun. The Thames glistened nearly as brightly as the glass tower buildings. Cars and black cabs were rushing up and down the embankment.

The English capital had always been a centre of commerce. Millions of goods had come onto the island via London's ports over hundreds and hundreds of years turning simple merchants into rich men.

Between ships and stacked containers vans and lorries were rushing back and forth transporting all kinds of goods. Cranes were unloading big transport ships and men in forklifts were emptying containers.

In big black letters he words _Madrigal Elektromotoren _were written on a white container. In front of it stood a burly man in a leather jacket his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses.

A black van stopped and two similarly dressed men emerged from it. One of them handed an envelope to the guards. He quickly cast a glance inside, the amount of pound notes seemed to satisfy him as he put it safely into the inside pocket of his jacket. He gave the two other guys a quick nod and disappeared between the rows of containers.

The two men took several buckets out of the container and put them into the van. They shut the container doors and left just as if nothing had ever happened.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's note:**** Thank you so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them :* As you can see they motivated me to already upload chapter #1.**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

Parents did a lot of weird things to get a nanny to work for their family. You should never trust the way the families behave during the job interview and your first day of work. It never reflected how they would normally treat you. The kids were never as well behaved and the rare emergencies started to become regularities as soon as mummy's hair appointment had to be postponed or daddy had to work overtime again.

One of Rebecca's friends had once told her a family had paid for a whole visit at a stylist –well it turned out they didn't like her style and wanted her to fit in with their posh neighbourhood. But those were the rich employers; the ones living in Chelsea or Hampstead. Not the ones Becca worked for; the ones that just needed a nanny a few hours a week and that live in an apartment in Camden or East London. Those sure didn't have the money for a stylist.

But Becca would chose them anytime over having to practice Chinese vocabs with a 5-year-old, so he could pass the entrance exam for his business primary school, or whatever these places were called.

However, she also preferred to be able to pay her rent on time and go to the cinema once in a while. She was asking herself what in God's name she was doing here. People in this area would never be able to afford a nanny. Yeah, okay, she was kinda short on money right now, but that was the point; a half-arsed, rip-off salary wouldn't help her.

It wasn't unusual for parents take advantage of the nannies' feeling of responsibility for the kids and how much they cared about them. Some felt called to do the job of looking after other people's children; that way Jamie's doe-eyes were cleverly used and that story about the horrible night when Ella had to be taken to the hospital with scarlet fever never lost its effect.

Rebecca sighed. She would have to take her chance. Last week she had lost Charlotte because her parents had decided to send her to boarding school and Ramona and Jess had called on Monday to let her know they were moving to one of the Home Counties to be closer to Ramona's parents and get away from the traffic.

She rang the doorbell and waited for the buzzing. "'lo?" a voice came through the intercom. Rebecca guessed it was Mrs Vlcek. "This is Rebecca, the nanny." The door was opened without another word.

The entrance was clean but it smelled of stale cigarette smoke and the elevator smelled of something that could have been wet dog. Rebecca closed the buttons of her denim jacket and put a strand of hair back into her messy bun waiting for the elevator to reach the right floor.

The door to one of the rooms leading from the hallway was ajar. She pushed it open: "Hello? Mrs Vlcek?" She was wary about the pronunciation of the name, but apparently she had been close enough with her try.

"Andrej! Can't you hold her for once?! The nanny's here!"

A thin woman with dyed blonde hair stepped into the hallway. She was wearing tracksuit bottoms and a tight pink tank top. Her hair in a messy pony tail, dark roots showing. Even though she couldn't have been much older than Becca, she looked way pass 30.

"Hi, I'm Mel," she offered her her hand, pink fake nails included.

"Hi, I'm Rebecca, nice to meet you." Becca followed her into what seemed to be the living room.

She assumed the guy sitting on an old, shabby looking leather couch to be Andrej Vlcek. He was visibly older than Mel. He was heavily built and was wearing a white muscle shirt. His head was shaved bringing out his distinct cheekbones and his wide nose. On his lap was sitting the baby girl. She was captivated by the TV not caring about her running nose.

"Hi," Becca said offering him her hand.

He turned his head away from the episode of Top Gear. He grumbled something that might have been a "nice to meet you" and held the baby out to her.

"Sophia," he explained in a strong Eastern European accent. He straightened out his once white shirt and rubbed his tattooed arm.

"Hey, honey… My name's Becca. It's very nice to meet you." Sophia looked at her with big, blue eyes and grabbed for her nose. Becca laughed softly which caused Sophia to give her a bright smile with only four pearly white front teeth and wiggle in her arm.

Becca turned to Mel. "So, what exactly did you have in mind?"

"Uhm, well, we'd need someone to get her from nursery three times a week and for the days, babysitting sometimes." This was actually in Becca's interest, since she really needed to make some money and she preferred being able to concentrate on one kid. She was again wondering how these two were going to afford her salary.

"We know about the money, no problem, we pay good," Andrej added. Becca nodded slowly, she felt very unsure about all of this. Suddenly Andrej began to cough violently and pressed a tissue to his mouth. Sophia snuggled closer into Becca.

"You can just put her down if she's getting too heavy," Mel offered.

"No, no, it's fine… We want to get to know each other, hm?" She wiped Sophia's tiny nose with a tissue. Mel was looking at her as if it was a completely new concept to her that even a baby had to get use to new people.

"I'll show you around." She led Becca back into the hallway.

The other rooms looked just as run down. The parents' bedroom floor was littered with clothes and an overflowing ashtray was on the nightstand. Becca wrinkled her nose.

Sophia's room looked like it was in desperate need of a refurbishment and her crib must've been on sale at a second hand shop. She just gave the kitchen a short look and then turned to Mel. "So… I take 15 an hour, babysitting is extra," she explained hoping to get this over with as soon as possible. There was no way that those two could pay this much money. "I reckon I'd be working between 30 and 40 hours a week, so about 500 quid a week."

Mel was fiddling with her strawy pony tail. "That's no problem at all. But…" She softly closed the door to the living room. "Y'know, Andrej, he's sick… we really don't have any time for a baby." Apparently she had caught on to Becca's hesitation. "He's got, uh, cancer and, uh, he's go'a get another chemo, maybe he's gonna stay at his brother's for the day." Mel was scratching a zit on her forehead. "She wasn't planned and…"

Becca was stroking Sophia's fine, blonde hair and smoothing out her onesie. Sophia gave her a bright smile and squealed.

Rebecca should have become suspicious. Who could afford the extra expenses for cancer treatment, nursery _and_ a nanny? But then again the house was run down; the husband didn't really speak English and spend his days watching TV. Jittery Mel seemed to have no idea what to do with her own baby.

Becca agreed to pick up Sophia from nursery the next day.

The week went past very quickly. Becca spent her time cleaning that bloody flat and somehow tried to fix Sophia's room, unsuccessfully. Sophia turned out to be the angel that she looked like. She was sweet and apparently craving for Becca's attention and care.

Throughout the week she hadn't seen much of Mel and Andrej had only been around on her weekend babysitting shift. She still had no idea what Mel did. She seemed always in a hurry and just arrived on time for Becca to call it a day.

Rebecca was fumbling with the keys. She had done some grocery shopping since there had been absolutely nothing in the fridge she could've used to make dinner with for Sophia. On the way back from the store Sophia had fallen asleep and was still in a happy slumber in her pram.

Becca was cursing under her breath while pulling on the door knob.

"Yo, can I help you?" she heard a male voice with an American accent from behind her. Rebecca turned around. A guy in maybe his mid-30's, about her height with longish brown hair and a scruffy beard was smiling at her. He didn't look unclean, but sort of ragged, the most conspicuous about him, though, were the scars crisscrossing his face, partly hidden by his beard.

"Uhm, hi, I'm Rebecca, Sophia's nanny," she made a vague direction towards the pram. She felt kind of uneasy, but she did need to get into the flat. "And uh, yes, I s'ppose you actually could help. Apparently I'm too dumb to open that flippin' door." She gave him a wry smile.

He chuckled. "I'm… I'm Charlie, nice to meet you." Hesitatingly she gave him the keys. "Didn't know anyone round here could afford a nanny. Sweet." Becca just answer with a short "Uhu". The door opened with a snap. "There you go." He smiled at her and handed her the keys back.

She quickly snatched them back from his hand and said a quick "Thank you."

"Anytime. Well, I live right here," he gestured towards the door across from the Vlceks. "Just moved in, actually. So if you ever need anything… well, uh, see you around."

"Yeah, uhm, see you around." _Hopefully not, _she thought. Quickly she disappeared into the flat. Resting her back against the door she exhaled. _Jesus_, this house just kept getting lovelier. The neighbours looked like a bloody burglars or drug addicts, everything reeked, there was probably someone breeding pitbulls. Talk about safe job environment.

She put Sophia in her crib while preparing dinner for the both of them.

On her second day she had already scrubbed the kitchen as she had definitely not felt comfortable preparing any kind of food in there. She still felt sort of reluctant about it, but at the moment she didn't seem to have another choice.

Making a face at the fridge she made sure to remember to clean it next opportunity she got. While she waited for Mel to come home, she heated up some baby food for Sophia and some mac-and-cheese for herself.

Mel arrived right on time looking exhausted and even more jittery than usual. She asked whether Becca would be able to babysit the next day.

Jesse flopped down on his bed. He was fucking exhausted. Just about a day ago he had gotten on a plane in Juneau, Alaska, and now he was in freaking London. He couldn't quite believe it. Somehow he'd expected someone to question his papers and send him right to the police. But instead of ending up in a jail cell, he had made it to London. To his surprise, England had greeted him with bright sunshine and after his 15 hour-flight it had taken him some time to get used to the bright light.

He had taken a train to Paddington station and then -just for the sake of it- he had taken one of the famous black cabs to get to his new home. Taking in the new town he felt like kid in Disneyland or something. _Fuck, they did actually have these red phone booths aaand the busses!_

"First time in London?," the taxi driver asked while looking at him through the rear view mirror.

"Yeah, actually never been to Europe before."

The taxi driver smiled amusedly. "I guess, you're here for a holiday?"

"Uh, no, actually I just moved here."

"So, where do you have to go?"

Jesse gave him his address in an area called "Lambeth".

"Well, that'll take us straight through the city, so you'll be able to see some culture and some actual _historical_ buildings." Jesse frowned. _What the hell was that supposed to mean? _He was cultured, yo!

The taxi started. His heart beat began to quicken, his stomach in a knot. He had never been this far away from home. This was it. He was gonna start over for good. On a whole different continent. Alaska had felt more like a vacation or spiritual self-discovery trip or whatever. But this… this was for real.

The weird feeling in his stomach had never quite left him.

He dragged his hands down his face and stared at the ceiling. God, he still looked like a freaking hobo. Back in Alaska, he had kept his hair and beard long and dyed it a dark brown to make sure no one would recognize his face. Ending up in a cage again would've been his certain death. Thousands of miles away from the US it'd probably be safe to get rid of it and the hair, which had kinda gotten out of control.

Somewhere inside his bag he found scissors and a razor.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror. In Alaska, he had avoided them and no one had given him a second look -most people there looked kinda rough, he had fit right in with the other wood choppers and ice road truckers-, but looking at himself now, he was nearly scared of himself. It was a wonder that nanny hadn't run off screaming. She must've thought he was out to steal her purse or something.

He decided to go to a hairdresser asap and took the scissors to cut off most of his beard. More and more he started to look a bit more like himself again. Grabbing the razor he decided to shave it all off. The less he looked like _him_, the better.

He had always liked his face. He knew _girls _liked it, but now it was all gone. Even that. Now, he'd always just look… kind of scary. What he had always wanted. The reason why he had worn clothes three sizes too big was to make himself look bigger, more intimidating. _Like a blowfish_. He tightly squeezed his eyes shut. Now he just wanted to go back, change it all. Or if he couldn't do that then he just wanted to forget. Fly away from it all. But with drugs that was how all of it had gotten started. He may be stupid, but he hadn't survived those Nazi fucks to off himself now. No more drugs. No more violence. Mr. Representable. Charlie Marshall, a new, guilt-free name.

As she stepped off the Victoria line, she was happy to be finally home and soon would be able to share her thoughts. She hadn't really had the chance to talk to her best friend, Dana, since she had been at rehearsals the whole week and had come home very late.

She shared the place with Dana and two guys, José who was from Spain and working as a fashion designer and Alex who went to the same university as her sister.

"Hey, anyone home?"

"Back here, hun." she heard her best friend's voice from their living room. Becca dropped her bag in the hallway and kicked her shoes off.

"I made dinner, want some?"

"Sure… cheers." she yelled back and got some food from the kitchen. There was nothing better than Dana's spaghetti.

She dropped down next to her on the sofa.

"Jesuuus, this new season of Misfits is so shi'. Can't believe i'… I mean last season was meh, bu' this seriously sucks… Wha' the hell, like, they've even cu' Kelly ou'… Well how was _your_ day?" She looked at her and grinned, sorting through her dark curls.

"Do we have something to drink?"

Dana frowned. "Sure… Oi! Alex, bring us beer, yeah?" she yelled into the direction of the kitchen where Alex seemed to be rummaging around.

"I'm going to the Ministry later on, you wanna come?" Dana asked.

"You're going out? You just came back from a week full of rehearsals and you'll have shows every day next week, right?" Rebecca couldn't understand how Dana could possibly have any energy left, not to mention any energy for spending the night at the Ministry of Sound, dancing to loud electro beats.

"Yeah, exactly. _God_, I'm desperate for a good night out. And all the guys from the show are going, so…"

Becca shook her head. Dana was just incredible. "Nah, thanks, I'm knackered…" She ran a hand over her face. The Ministry wasn't really her scene anyway and she didn't quite in with Danas musical colleagues. "Really, I've got no idea. I told you but this new job, righ'?"


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's note: ****Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! Well, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

Jesse put a dark blue plaid shirt on, one of the many he had bought in Alaska, and left his apartment. The day before, he hadn't really paid attention to his new living area. It looked a bit sketchy, he had to admit, but the rent was affordable and he figured it would be best to really lie low. Around his tall apartment building were smaller family homes whose front yards looked dingy and mostly served to store the garbage cans.

He checked the street name and continued his way toward a shopping center he had found on google. A few streets further town the area began to look a little bit better. To his right was a church and the street was line with sycamore trees. He remembered asking his aunt what they looked like after she had sung that _Summertime Blues_ song so many times. She had dug up some big ass encyclopaedia with big pictures and crazy detailed drawings of leaves and different sorts of barks.

It was still quite warm, so he was fine without his jacket, but apparently English people were like deep in their summer mood. In a park to his right some girls were throwing a Frisbee in only hot pants and tank tops. A couple of guys were playing soccer. Yeah, right, land of soccer and rugby. He couldn't care less about sports but soccer would always be kids' or girls' sport to him.

He passed the park and nearly got run over by a taxi. _Shit-fuck! Fucking driving on the wrong damn side of the road!_ He quickly recovered from his shock when he saw a red double-decker bus. He grinned. May be he should buy round glasses and a wand. Hogwarts was just waiting for him.

A big group of kids were playing in a house's yard. A plate identified it as a _primary_ school. _Really? Even a different name for schools?_ He shook his head. For a moment he stopped and watched the kids. A sad smile found its way on his face. Quickly he turned away and continued on his mission to find a hairdresser.

Not long after he came to giant crossway. He spotted an Underground station with the name Elephant&Castle. Ha! He'd found it. Manoeuvring his way through people and traffic he got the "shopping center".

It wasn't exactly what he'd called a center. It was just an ugly blue building next to the Underground station that reminded him a lot of the cheap strip mall where Saul had had his office. In front of it was some kind of market with randomly mixed stands selling everything from kebabs to tacky clothes. The entrance was covered by a circus like tent thing.

Oh well. He wasn't too fond of crowds but he had made all this way to find that stupid hairdresser. He ducked into the mass of people. He felt a bit out of place between African women in colorful dresses and noisy teenagers. A sign advertised a bowling and air hockey alley.

Finally he spotted the hairdresser's shop.

"Hiya, luv, what can I do for you?" A small chubby woman smiled at him while putting one of those perm things over another woman's head.

"Uhm, just a simple haircut."

"Ha, that's what we're here for. You're lucky, I can squish you in. Have seat." She directed him to one of the seats.

"Anything special?"

"Nah, just shorter, I guess." He stared at his image in the mirror while she put a cape around his shoulders.

"Well, such a pretty boy like you doesn't need a fancy hairdo, hm?" He wasn't quite so sure about the pretty part. If anything he was handsome! Well, not so much anymore. But he'd never been pretty, c'mon!

"Where are you from, hun?"

"Alaska."

After his one word answers she soon stopped trying to make small talk.

He gave her a big tip and quickly fled all the people.

By then it was already past noon, he wandered around a bit more and decided to grab something to eat when he found a small pub in a side street. He hadn't eaten anything except cereal and a limp sandwich in over 48 hours.

He ordered a burger and a Guinness. He had always wondered if it tasted different than in the US. Wow, it was so much better and pleasantly cold. The burger was huge and nothing like the _real _thing, but he did like it.

He ended up staying for two more beers. With a look at his wallet he realized he'd need to find a bank soon to get some more cash. He still couldn't believe he had a bank account, but he couldn't have possibly kept his distance uncle's fortune in a barrel. An unexpected inheritance from Uncle Willie from Texas (well, rather Uncle Jack from ABQ) had turned him into a rich man.

He took his time getting back to his apartment taking a few detours. By the time he got back the sun was already setting. He decided to have a smoke before going upstairs.

Rebecca was singing nursery rhymes while balancing Sophia who delightfully squealed at the sounds coming out of her mouth on her hip and stirring in a pot. She had found a cookbook a couple of days ago when she had done her tidying in the kitchen with Czech recipes, so she was trying out a Czech stew. Mel had been very grateful for the idea.

"Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man, bake me a cake as fast as you can; pat it and shape it and mark it with "B", and bake it in the oven for baby and me" Sophia giggle. "Pat, pat, pat", she repeated her words.

"Yes, that's right. Pat, pat." She repeated the song again and then stopped to put some spices in the stew. After an annoyed sound from Sophia she began to sing _Wind the Bobbin Up_.

While the stew was simmering she got Sophia ready for bed.

"My little girl has got to take bath now, hm? To get you all nicely cleaned up for bed." Fortunately Sophia was one of those babies who loved water. As they reached the bathroom Sophia clapped her little hands clumsily together.

"Are you excited to have bath? We're gonna make you smell of roses", she kissed the top her head and filled the baby tub with warm water.

Sophia happily splashed around in the water and managed to somehow soak Becca's top. Fortunately she had taken off her jumper before their little bathing adventure.

She put Sophia in new nappies and a fresh onesie and put her to sleep singing a lullaby. Leaving the baby light on –she had been very she surprise when she had found out about its existence, maybe they weren't completely hopeless- she left the room and tried a bowl of her stew. It actually tasted really delicious. She would remember that recipe and make it for her housemates.

Not long after, Mel came home.

"Hi, how are you? I made that stew, there's loads left so you can have some and put the rest in the freezer or something. Sophia's sleeping. By the way, I bought some different flavours of baby food today, because you told me you had trouble convincing her to eat. Well, looks like she just prefers the carrot and potato one. So I think we can stick with that."

Mel nodded absentmindedly. "Thanks."

"Well, then... I'll see you tomorrow," Becca said getting up and gathering her things. "Have nice evening."

"Thank you, Becca."

"No problem. Later," she called from the hallway and left.

Even though it was still really warm during the day, it was quite chilly at night, so she was glad she'd taken a jacket with her. Especially since had to take off her top and was only left with a thin jumper.

The air still smelled of sunshine and fallen leaves. Apparently someone else was thinking the same way. There was a guy sitting on the back of one of the benches outside the house. As she came closer he looked up and then raised his hand. "Hi, Becca, right?" he called out to her.

She frowned. How the hell did he know her name? This area was just getting creepier by the day. Although she was still quite a few feet away from him she was pretty sure she had never seen that guy before. He was somewhere in his 20's, slim and from what she could tell dark blond. He wore a dark blue lumberjack shirt and black trousers.

Unfortunately she had to pass him to get to the street. Well, maybe he knew her because Mel had told him about her? Not that she really seemed like someone having pleasant small talk with her neighbours.

"Charlie", he offered. "Remember? From yesterday…"

She stepped closer. Wow. On the second look she realised it _was_ the neighbour from across the hall. His hair was a lot shorter and not a dark brown anymore and sticking out in all directions and his Robinson Crusoe beard was gone. He was a lot younger than she had initially thought, only the scars gave him away, otherwise she had never believed it was him. Only now she noticed his striking blue eyes.

"Hey… wow," she laughed awkwardly. "Huh. Had I known what a simple haircut and shave can accomplish, I'd gone to the hairdressers way more often."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess, I look kinda…" He made a vague gesture.

"Dodgy?" she offered with an impish smile.

"If that means something like 'sketchy' then yes, I s'ppose. Well, my excuse is that I just arrived from Alaska."

"Your point being…? Did you spend your days in a forest with a pack of wolves?" she asked. "Sorry," she tried to hide her giggle.

"Gee, thanks," he said but didn't look offended. "That point goes to you. Actually, I spent my time with wood choppers. Not much difference between them and wild animals."

He took a drag from his cigarette. "Hey, uh, you want one?" he offered her his pack.

"Actually, yes, thanks." She took one and leaned down to let him light it for her.

"So… you're from Alaska?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah, but, uhm, I grew up in Albuquerque. New Mexico," he replied somewhat wistfully.

"Is it nice? I mean, I've never been to the US and… well, I'd be lying if I said I knew anything about New Mexico…"

Charlie huffed and then laughed. "Yeah, no, it's nice. A hell lotta desert, though. If you drive out into the boonies there's, like, _nothing_ for miles and miles except for, like, a few cow houses."

"Cow houses? Is that what you call them?" She raised her eyebrows.

"I dunno… I guess. I mean it's where they live, right? The cows, I mean." He looked at her sheepishly. She laughed.

"And you? Did you grow up here?" He asked and made a vague all including gesture.

"Yeah, born and bred. My family's moved to Brighton, though, but I still live in Islington. I share a house with some friends."

The questioning look he gave her made it obvious he had never heard of Islington or where it was.

"Islington's in the East of London. It's quite green. With these little family houses but it's still very close to everything. Shoreditch is close; it's a cool area for going out."

"I, like, have no idea," he chuckled, "never been to London before; to Europe in general." He shrugged and blew out smoke into the night sky. She was wondering why he had left the US and had decided to come to Europe, but she felt that question was too personal for a first real conversation.

"You've got loads to discover then." She looked at her watch. "Well, I have to head home. I'll see you around, yeah?"

He smiled. "Yeah, see ya. It was nice to see you," he added.

"You too" And she actually meant it.

On her way back to her place, she thought back to her conversation with Dana the other day. She'd described her job and the creepy neighbour. Dana had been rather worried about her working there.

"So, you're tellin' me these people live in Lambeth North? And the dad doesn't work?"

"I _know _it's- but I need the money and-"

"And you felt sorry for the baby." Dana gave her a stern look. They had long since move to a bottle of red wine.

"Yeah well, but, honestly, Dana… I couldn't just-and they pay well."

Dana shook her head. "Good lord…!" After another sip of wine she said: "So the building is a shithole and there are criminals creeping around…"

"It's not _that _bad. And it was just one guy. He didn't actually do anything. He looked ragged but he was nice to me."

"Yeah _right_," Dana replied sarcastically, "and next thing you know he's ripping your clothes of in some dark alley."

"Lovely, Dana, really, not like I needed any sleep tonight…"

"Just looking out for you, hun. I mean, you said he's got _several _scars on his face and he's a yank! What's he doing in Lambeth?"

"Gosh, Dana! No one says that anymore except for maybe that guy from _Hooligans_. You're not cockney!"

"Wha'ever… Mate, he seems dodgy… That _whole_ thing seems dodgy. Fucking Lambeth North! Be careful, yeah?"

Rebecca got off the Tube. Well, one problem less, she presumed. Charlie wasn't nearly as creepy as she had thought. He was quite sweet and kind of cute, she had to admit. She did wonder about his scar, but she reckoned that there were about a million possibilities how he could've gotten them. He could've been mugged or in a car accident for all she knew. He didn't really look like someone who got into fights. He was a bit too thin for that.

Maybe her time working for the Vlceks wouldn't turn out to be as bad as she'd thought.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's**** Note: I'm sorry for the long wait -Uni and a Halloween party got in the way :D. I hope I can make up for it with a chapter that's slightly longer and hopefully a shorter wait for the next one. Thank you so much for your feedback so far! **

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

Rebecca had just gotten Sophia ready for bed when she heard the front door.

"No, Melanie. That is not my responsibility. You do your part, I do my. Understand? You listen what I say!"

"It wasn' my faul'! _You _were s'pposed to tell him! You are the one who knows 'im! He's _your_ guy!"

"Buď zticha!"

Mel's and Andrej's voices were hushed but aggravated; they were clearly fighting about something.

She stepped out of the bathroom carrying Sophia who was tiredly leaning her head against Becca's shoulder.

"Hey… you're home early. It's nice to see you again, Mr Vlcek. I hope you're doing all right." Mel was taking her coat off while Andrej put a backpack into the hallway wardrobe.

"Hi… yeah, Andrej wanted to spend the night here…," Mel explained. Andrej just gave her a brief nod.

"Well, if you want you can put Sophia to bed and I'll finish up in the kitchen. And if it's all right with you lot, I'd like to talk to you."

"Okay…" Mel took the baby from her went into Sophia's room while Andrej disappeared into the living room.

Rebecca was putting the rest of the dishes from the dish washer into the cupboard when she heard Sophia cry.

"C'mon, Sophia, it's time to sleep now, yeah?" she heard Mel say which only led to louder crying from Sophia.

"_Sophia_, stop crying. I don't have all evenin' and you're really tired."

Rebecca got her jacket and handbag.

"Bebe! Beeebeee!" Sophia wailed.

"Sophia, I don't know what 'bebe' means…" Mel sounded really unnerved.

"That's what she calls me," Becca explained poking her head into the baby's room. Mel was leaning over the crib awkwardly caressing Sophia's head.

"Well then you do it," Mel replied curtly and quickly left the room. Becca just shook her head incredulously and picked Sophia up.

Sophia had calmed down pretty quickly and had fallen asleep half through her favourite lullaby.

Becca was sitting across from Mel and Andrej –she wasn't quite sure if she liked him being there, since she didn't know him at all and couldn't tell how he'd react.

"Well, uhm, I've been meaning to bring this up for quite a while. I know you lot have a lot on your plate and you're really busy, but I'm just gonna be frank with you… I don't want to beat about the bush. Sophia's room's not suitable for her. The wallpaper looks damp that isn't healthy and just the other day I got a splinter in my hand from her crib. I'm afraid she'll hurt herself."

Andrej got up making a dismissive gesture. "This for women. You fix it." He was about to leave the room when he turned back and looked at her, "Sophia like you? Is good. Is real good. Makes me happy." He turned to Mel, "Why she don't like you then?"

Mel just shrugged her shoulders but Becca could tell by the look in her eyes she was angry.

He looked back to Becca. "You fix it. Don't get in my business." Without another word he left the room. At this point Becca surely didn't want to get into the subject of smoking around the baby anymore.

"Well, Rebecca, I dunno what we can do. _I_ don't 'ave time for this rubbish. If you wanna change summing, I can give you some money. If not, then you go'a deal wiv it. It's to'ally fine in my opinion. I got more impor'ant things to worry about. _You're _the nanny." She got up making it obvious she wanted Becca to leave.

"She's _your _child," she replied softly. With a final look at Mel she walked out of the flat.

Leaning against the wall next to the front door, she let out a breath. This was bullshit! How could they not care about their child?! What if she got sick from mould in the walls or something? They could at least buy a new crib! This was _not _her responsibility! For Christ's sake, _they _were the parents.

She felt exhausted. Sophia was such a sweet girl and she couldn't understand why her parents acted so coldly. She was glad how easily Sophia had bonded with her and how excited the little girl was every day when she saw her, but it was scary. A baby girl shouldn't be so desperate for a stranger's attention, especially not just after a few weeks.

She was still standing in the hallway and just realised she had been staring at Charlie's door the whole time. She'd occasionally seen him when she'd come back from picking Sophia up or when she'd left the flat, but they hadn't had another proper conversation.

She hesitated for a moment, but then she knocked. There were some noises inside and soon after he cracked the door open and looked at her. As he realised it was her, he opened it all the way.

„Hey, you all right?" he looked worriedly at her.

"Hey, yeah, I'm fine. Uhm, I was just wondering if you…" she stepped from one foot to the other feeling sort of sheepish about her stupid question. She could've just gone to a corner shop and gotten some for herself. "…if I could bum a cigarette from you?"

He chuckled slightly. "Sure thing. Long day?" he asked.

„Yeah, spend the whole day cleaning that _bloody _flat." He grinned and mumbled something that sounded like an amused repetition of the word "bloody".

"You done for today, though, right?"

"Yeah… Thank goodness."

"Hey, lemme just get my jacket then I'll come with you. There's a real nice spot up on the roof. Just found out you could go all the way up. The view is really dope, you can, like, see London Eye or whatever."

Becca nodded and smiled at his description of London's skyline.

She followed him up the stairs that lead from the last floor to the roof of the building. He opened the door for her and smiled gallantly. She just raised an eyebrow and smiled back at him.

They stood close to the edge that was protected by a waist-high wall looking over London. They could see London Eye and were actually able to make out the Houses of Parliament were.

"There you go." He handed her a cigarette from his package of Parliaments.

"How long have you been in London now?" These weren't cigarettes you could buy in the UK as far as she knew.

He laughed. "Yeah, I'm running low, gotta find another brand, I guess," he said lighting up her cigarette.

Taking a drag she looked up into the night sky. She was barely able to see any stars, but the familiar sight of satellites and planes calmed her. It wasn't quiet either; cars driving down the road, ambulances rushing through the streets and the faint sound of music coming out of some window, but this was her home and these were familiar sounds, sound she had grown up with.

Charlie was standing close to her looking up as well. His brows were drawn together in a frown scrunching up his high forehead. "So what've you seen of London so far?" she asked.

"Not much. I walked to that shopping centre at the Elephant & Castle subway station-"

"-Tube," she cut in. "We call it Tube, not subway. Subway's where you buy your sandwiches."

He looked at her raising his brows. "Tube station then. Anyway, haven't seen much 'cept for that. I had, like, a shit ton of things to do, setting up a bank account and stuff like that."

"Oh no! You _have_ to leave Lambeth North," she exclaimed. "You can't spend all your time _here_."

"I don't really know where to start and really don't know any places 'cept for, like, the Buckingham Palace." He shrugged his shoulders.

"The Bucking- Jesus. Okay." she said determinedly. "You cannot live here and think the only thing this town's to offer is the fucking Buckingham Palace. _Jesus_. I think I have to make it my personal duty to show you my home town."

He looked at her disbelievingly and then gave her a bright smile. "Man, that'd be hella sweet."

Becca laughed. "Sure. No problem."

"Nah, it's really nice of ya. Thanks."

"It's my pleasure, really. Well and thank you for providing me with these…" She held up the cigarette in her hand. "I really needed to get my mind off things…" She sighed. Her mood instantly worsened again.

"It's cool. What's up? Did something happen? I mean, you don't have to tell me, that's fine, but y'know, you can, if you want to…" His rambling was kind of cute and she gave him a small smile.

"Hm, yeah. I dunno. I'm just wary about this job, you know? The parents - I don't know- something is off. They live in blimmin' Lambeth, no offense. And Jesus, you should see the flat, it's…"

"Yeah, I kinda got that it's not the nicest area. But they treat you all right?" he cut in with a concerned look in his eyes.

"Yeah, no, they're okay. Most of the time they're not even home, so… and they pay well, but still, a baby girl should… Her parents… She shouldn't be that attached to me already." She turned around with her back leaning against the wall.

"I think they don't really give a shit about her… It's so sad, she's such a sweetheart and usually the easiest baby in the world," she sighed deeply. Jesse handed her another cigarette. "Cheers," she thanked him.

He nodded thoughtfully. "But it's not like you can do anything about it. They're the parents." He sounded reluctant to say this.

"Yeah, I know… Not really anyways. Ugh, I think her room's walls are actually mouldy and her crib is becoming dangerous. Sooner or later that piece of crap is going to fall apart."

Charlie frowned. "Jeez. I'll never get over the way some parents treat their children. Kids are just the greatest thing in the world."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, definitely, I love kids." He said sounding very earnest.

He looked at her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Actually I think you are making a difference... by caring so much about her. I saw you with her and she really likes you, I think. That's important. So I guess she knows someone cares." A dark shadow passed over his face, but it was gone so quickly she wasn't sure, if she'd only imagined it.

She remained silent for a moment. "Well, she better be, I've cleaned the whole fuckin' flat!" She exclaimed laughingly trying to lighten their gloomy mood. He chuckled.

"Hey, do you maybe wanna go to Camden town tomorrow?"

Jesse tugged at his hair. Trying to… He wasn't exactly sure what he was trying to do. It wasn't like his hair was long enough to cover up… his whole face. Yeah, no, that was a terrible idea. And it wasn't like he _liked _Becca, but she was still a girl –he hadn't gone out with anyone in god knows how long- and she was cute. Her long dark auburn hair and big hazel eyes stood in stark contrast to his scarred face and thin frame.

He sighed. Yeah, whatever. Blue eyes, bitch! They would have to do.

They had agreed to meet in front of the Sub- no, _Tube_ station, he reminded himself, since Becca lived on the other side of town.

On his way to Camden Town, which was apparently this huge market for subcultural stuff or whatever, he tried to listen to some sort of British rap at least that was what it was s'pposed to be- to get into the feel of the island. But it had, like, no fucking bass and the accent... Jesus. It made, like, zero fucking sense for these stuck up people to be talking about the streets. Like mowing your fuckin green lawn playing golf and eating from plates with the Queen on them would ever… English people must be, like, the total opposite of street cred. Yeah, okay, may be not everyone was rich and shit, but every kid wore, like, a school uniform.

He fiddled with his phone and settled on something familiar. English metal would have to do. Black Sabbath was good enough.

A strange thought popped into his head, he wondered what that bat had tasted like Ozzy had accidentally killed by biting its head off during a concert.

Jeez... if he didn't watch out he'd finally end up in a mental asylum or some shit.

He got off the _Tube_ following big groups of people. Apparently this place was a huge thing. He was kind of a tourist, so he fit right in. Well, not really, but he was still allowed to stare at tourist attractions, just having arrived and all.

The sun was shining and the sky was a bright shade of blue. He started to believe that someone had made all these rumors about English weather up.

He spotted Becca. She wore tight black pants and a white shirt underneath her denim jacket. For the first time she didn't have her hair in a bun. It went down to the middle of her back.

Becca wasn't beautiful in the traditional sense, but she was pretty and she was something he couldn't exactly remember. Sane. Normal. And not involved with drugs.

He walked up to her.

"Yo, s'up?" he greeted her casually.

"Hi." She smiled brightly causing dimples to form in her cheeks. He noticed that her front teeth were slightly crooked. "S'up to you, too?" she teased.

He returned her smile in muted version of hers.

"Well, have a look around and let's go!"

They walked down the street that was lined with the usual shops for young fashion or whatever dull people called them. The shops weren't the most interesting part, though. A lot of people were dressed like Goths or, uh, transsexual vampire pop queens? … Jesse loved it. A beat boxer was followed by another street musician playing three chord-punk on a shitty guitar.

Further down there was a huge market on the left side of the road. A green and yellow sign identified it as _The Camden Market_. Stands of clothes were squished together, sellers were loudly advertizing their printed shirts, Doc Martin boots and accessories.

"I suggest we don't go in there, too many people on a Saturday. If you actually wanna shop here, don't do that on the weekend." Becca explained. "They sell the same clothes at Camden Lock, anyways."

The next shops were something different. They were painted in bright colors, one had a huge ass converse shoe over its entrance, another one a pair of pants.

Every shop was blasting a different kind of music –he could make out a Ramones song, Iron Maiden and some new crappy pop song.

"It's pretty cool, innit?"

"It's _awesome_!" Becca chuckled.

Becca stopped in front of shop that sold crazy contact lenses, fake hair and dye. She picked a strand of green fake hair up. "How about that?"

"Jeez. No. Don't ruin your hair."

He stared at a package of crystal blue dye.

May be dying his hair a weird shade of blue would be a great idea. It was a strange impulse -whether to disguise himself or as some kinda expression of masochism, he wasn't sure. His mind was fucked up, that was for sure. He kept staring at the shelf of hair dyes, probably looking like a total nutcase.

"What are you thinking about?" Becca asked amusement in her voice.

"Whether I should dye my hair blue or not?"

"Blue? Wha', like, to compliment your eyes," she tilted her head left, "or as some kind of weird fashion statement?"

He scoffed. "Yeah... definitely as a fashion statement..." He shook his head, weirded out by his own insanity. It didn't really come as a surprise that he'd finally gone bonkers. That would just make fucking sense or something. Or not. Whatever.

"Yeah, well, don't do that. You look pretty the way you are." She said playfully.

That word again. Pretty. He grumbled something, but she just laughed and took his hand dragging him in the direction of food stands. "C'mon, let's go!"

The road crossed a bridge and led to what Becca had mentioned earlier. Metal letters on a brown-yellowish brick building, to their left, read _Camden Lock_, to their right down by the river were like a million different food stalls.

He smelled Thai food, Mexican, fries and something sweet.

They were sitting on a small wall close to river munching on burritos and a Brazilian pastry type thing. The river wasn't actually a river; it was a canal as Becca had explained. A huge rubber duck made out of plastic bottles was floating on it. Some kinda environmentalist message.

"I'm stuffed", Becca explaimed. "If I eat one more bite, I think I'm going to explode right here."

Jesse felt the same way. He couldn't remember when he'd eaten that much.

"Thanks for takin me, yo," he said sincerely. "It's really cool! Like this totally different world or whatever." They had spent hours inside of Camden Lock that offered all sorts of weird things. From weed-flavored lollipops to girlie jewelry, Willy Wonka-esque candy shops, stands selling gramophones and vinyls, every hipster's dream.

"Yeah, I love it. It's a bit crowded." She chuckled. "I think, I'm really getting into this tourist guide thing. We definitely have to check out King's Cross and St. Pancras. You know, where they filmed Harry Potter."

He looked at her amusedly.

"Goodness, I'm such a dork! But you know, working with kids you end up talking about Harry Potter quite often." She smiled sheepishly.

"Uh no, it's cool. Seriously, everything I know 'bout the UK is from Harry Potter. My little brother used to love those books."

"He's back in the states, right?" He nodded. "Do you talk to him often, then?"

"Nah, I'm not exactly on speaking terms with my family. I kinda, y'know, moved here for good."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I got used to it, y'know?" He hadn't really, but there were things far worse he had to get over than not talking to his dickhead parents. "My brother and I were never really close. He's 13 years younger than me, so… Are you close to yours?"

"Yeah, they're pretty all right, I guess, and they live close by, so... My sister's 'round at their place more often. But they like inviting people, so I'm always there for birthdays, holidays and all that."

He looked wistfully at the floating duck. His parents had always hated to have guest. They were noisy and intruding. Becca family sounded perfect.

He felt her eyes on him. He tried to shake his depressing thoughts. "So, how long have you been working as a nanny?"

"Uhm," she laughed. "Wow, quite a few years now. I mean, I started some courses at uni, but that really wasn't my cup o' tea."

Jesse scoffed. Didn't he know? The few data management lectures he had attended to please his dad had scared him away from anything remotely related to educational facilities.

Oblivious to Jesse's thoughts, Becca continued, "kids are great, I really love the job. I'm never gonna be rich, but who cares? I like it. The little ankle-biters aren't the problem, but some parents are honestly completely mental. It's always the parents… Not the kids." She stopped for a moment, a frown appearing on her face.

"This now… that is something else! I mean, like, the other day I talked to them about the state that her room is in and he-he just gets up and is like 'this is for women!' And I'm like, 'oi, excuse me, what century do you live in?' She then says to me 'I can't be bothered with this rubbish. If you wanna change something, do it yourself! I don't care' and I'm like 'hey, sorry, you're the mum! I'm just the nanny, what the hell are you thinking?'

"I don't even know, but I guess, I just have to deal with it, and well, I don't really-"

"You don't wanna leave her behind, right?" Jesse finished her sentence.

Becca nodded looking frustrated.

"I had a bit of bad luck recently. Families I worked for moved away and whatnot, so I kinda had to take that job…"

"Money don't grow on trees," he said knowingly.

"Yeah, no rest for the wicked", she added chuckling. She had no idea how right she was.

After a moment of silence Becca asked him what he did for a living.

"Uh, I use to be in sales, but it, uh, wasn't really my thing, so uh, I kinda took a sabbatical or whatever and went to Alaska." He remembered Mr White telling him this bullshit story about taking a sabbatical after he had gotten himself fire from J.P. Wynne. Why did every single thing he thought about always have to lead back to _him_? Even dead he was everywhere.

"Yeah, you don't really strike me as the sales man, must've been a boring job? No offense."

"Uhm, yeah, I guess." He scoffed internally. Yeah… his time as a "sales man" had been a lot of things, boring wasn't one of them. "You just end up being someone else's bitch."


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's note:**** I am so, so sorry for taking so long. Uni's been crazy and it took me a long time to be even remotely satisfied with this chapter. I am still not entirely happy with it. Even though it's so short it is important for the story. Critisism is very much appreciated (especially on this one). Tell me how you like the new characters. As always a huge thank you for the reviews!**

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><p>Becca held her phone up.<p>

"That was my best friend. Our housemate cooked and as always we could probably feed an entire football team with the amount he's made. He's Spanish so he makes, like, the most delicious paella ever… Do you wanna come? I mean, it's a bit mental to eat more, but…"

"Really?" Jesse looked at her skeptically.

"Yeah, sure. I mean, _you_ can certainly eat as much as you want. Actually you could use some-"

"No, I meant… you really wanna invite me to your place?"

"Ehm, yeah? Of course. What's the big deal?" She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "It's only a few stops to our place..."

Jesse could barely remember the last time he had spent with people his own age, not to mention people he was just meeting for fun. The word 'fun' had usually included drug infused parties which hadn't even really been about the fun to begin with.

During his first few months in Alaska he had mostly kept away from people because he hadn't been able to handle anyone else and hadn't had it in him to even so much as scrape up a teenth of trust for another human being. After this healing period his contact with other human beings had consisted of the most necessary exchanges of words –first with someone willing to hire him and then eventually with his co-workers.

Spending so much time with someone else He felt way out of his comfort zone but yet again he felt so much more normal than he had in... He didn't even know.

The dinner with Becca and her friends ended up being a lot more enjoyable than he had anticipated. Rebecca's roommates were chatty and easy going not requiring him to contribute anything to their conversation. He simply enjoyed being near people he could've -under different circumstances- have felt close to. And they provided him with a break from his never ending turning wheel of thoughts.

The day with Becca had exhausted him –mostly in a good way, but also in a way that he knew he wouldn't be able to pretend for much longer that he was just a regular guy. So he really appreciated the break from having all the attention on him and not having a conversation focus on his made-up persona and past.

Her friends were far from quiet, they were noisy in a literal and figurative way, but their banter and bickering was entertaining. They were regular people like "Charlie".

Rebecca's neighborhood differed drastically from his.

Above all, it _was_ a lot nicer than his. There were only small family homes with green front gardens planted with flowers and small bushes, the occasional toy lying around. He kinda regretted just taking the first offer for an apartment.

Her place looked very similar to the other two-story buildings -brownish bricks and white window and door frames. Three steps led up to a light blue door, in between two bay windows.

"Well, come on in," Becca said opening the door.

The wooden floor of the hallway was littered with shoes.

"Sorry about the mess," she apologized nonchalantly.

Several musical posters decorated the walls. "Dana is a musical performer."

Dana, Jesse remembered, was Becca's best friend.

"Here, let me take that." Becca took his jacket and hung it up. He followed her example and took off his shoes.

A young guy with dark brown hair came down the stairs.

"Hey, Becky," Becca scrunched up her face at the nickname. "Charlie, innit?" he asked. "Alex, hi."

"Uh, yeah. Hi, nice to meet you." He was surprised that her roommate instantly knew who he was.

"You, too. How-," he was interrupted by a female voice yelling, "Oi, guys! Don't hang about in the hallway! C'mon in!"

Their living room had a dining table to the right and a sofa and armchairs to the left. A piano stood against one wall. Glass sliding doors led to a small back yard. It was getting dark outside, he realized.

Everything looked very cozy.

A tall, dark skinned girl with afro-y curls stepped into the room. She wore low-fitting sweat pants and a loose grey and pink striped tank top.

She was hot.

"Hi ya, I'm Dana."

"Charlie," he shook her hand.

"What were you lot doin' hidin' him out there in the hallway?" she asked Becca and Alex. "Well, I'm gonna get José and his paella." With an elegant turn that made her big earrings shake she disappeared back into the kitchen.

The table was already set. Right after they had slipped into their seats, Dana and a blond guy came in carrying a huge pan.

The guy introduced himself as "José" –he had a strong Spanish accent and seemed rather reserved.

The food smelled amazing. It was a rice dish with chicken, seafood and various vegetables. Apparently it was a traditional Spanish meal. Jesse had no idea how he could eat more, he had eaten more than he had ever eaten in one day.

Her friends were warm and inviting not considering it anything out of the ordinary to have a complete stranger join them at their dining table. Apparently Becca had mentioned him a couple of times - to his surprise, really.

Quietly munching on his paella he followed their conversation.

"My mamá always sends me food. She thinks I'm starving in England. And to be honest… English food kind of sucks. OW!" Dana had slapped him over the back of his head.

"It's true!"

"No need to rub it in, though. Duh."

"Anyways," he gave Dana a pointed look. "She sent me this huge parcel full of stuff so I thought I should make it. Perfect timing, then." José smiled in Jesse's direction.

"Thanks, yo."

"I miss having a lot of people at the dining table."

"Oh, shut it. You're just procrastinating. Rice doesn't go off, mate," Alex chimed in. "You're only cooking cos you've got a huge project to finish. How's it going anyways?"

"Fine."

"Uhu. When's the show?"

"Who said I'm going to invite you?"

"José's a fashion designer and they have these fashion shows to present their designs," explained Becca.

Suddenly Alex pushed his plate away.

"Sorry, mates, something's come up," he said standing up. "I gotta go."

"Where?" Dana asked incredulously.

Alex looked at his phone.

Dana groaned, "God… _seriously_? Mate… you're gonna ditch us, your _best_ friends aaand this new addition to our country, for a shag with some random bloke you me' on Tinder?"

José just shook his head.

"All riiight," Alex said dramatically sitting back down. "There's this other guy anyways…"

"Slut," Dana coughed. "Now shu' up and eat your supper."

"Yes, Mum," he replied rolling his eyes.

Jesse looked questioningly at Becca who just shrugged her shoulders and gave him a don't-ask-me-I'm-sorry look.

"I've got news," Dana blurted out. They had moved on from food to beer.

"You're pregnant?"

"No, Alex. I'm not pregnant," she said disbelievingly. "No. A little birdie has told me that there will be spots available on We Will Rock You. I'm going to audition."

"Wow. That's fantastic. You'll be fantastic," Becca said smiling encouragingly.

"Well, hereby you're all invited to my opening night," she announced.

"To Queen ehm Dana then," Becca said raising her bottle.

"To Dana," they all agreed.

"Uhm, I need the loo, be right back." Becca stood up.

She was very excited for Dana. This was a really big opportunity. She had worked in several very small productions, but We Will Rock You was one of the longest running shows in the West. This was a huge opportunity.

Becca sighed trying to fix her hair. She was really glad, but she felt tiny tang of jealousy. Her current employment was far from ideal and it felt like she was treading water. She was stuck. However, she was happy she'd met Charlie. He was sweet and fun.

Her housemates were a little bit crazy, but she hoped he still liked them. She'd thought it would be a good idea to introduce him to more people since he didn't know anyone in London except for her as far as she knew.

He seemed very quiet, but not uncomfortable.

With a last look into the mirror she went back to the living room.

Dana, Alex and Charlie were standing next to the windows – José was apparently in the kitchen.

"Dude… I'm not gay!" Charlie said to Alex, looking kind of embarrassed. He gestured towards his body.

Alex just raised his eyebrows, not convinced by Charlie's lean physique. "You're sure 'bout tha'?"

"Jesus, Alex, stop it!" Dana stepped in. "He'll run back to the states if you keep bothering him like tha'!"

"Wha' is goin' on here?" Becca asked confused by the scene in front of her.

"Alex here is tryin' to score a shag wiv your-"

"Jesus Christ," she grabbed Charlie by his sleeve. "Weeee're gonna have a smoke. Outside." She gave Alex a stern glance. "Alone."

She shut the sliding doors behind them and sat down on the small garden bench.

Charlie sat down next to her. After a moment of silence he stated, "I'm not gay." He sounded mortified.

"I know. I know you're not" She gave him a small grin.

"Why the hell does he think I'm gay?"

"He doesn't. He doesn't believe in gay and straight. He believes in shaggin' and the power of his '_mojo'_. His words, not mine. He tries to seduce everyone."

"Uh yeah. Well, tell him I'm not interested. Like not at all. And I do believe in gay and straight and I'm _very_ straight," he stressed.

Becca chuckled. "I'm sorry," she giggled. "I really am. He's a tosser. Don't take him seriously, he's just takin' the piss." She nudged his shoulder.

"Here." He offered her a cigarette which she gladly accepted.

"But, yo, they're cool. Except for the hitting on me part." He still sounded freaked out.

"I'm glad you like them. They're a bit…" she waved her hand in lack of word.

Becca stared off into the darkness of their garden. She kept thinking back to the conversation she had had with the Vlceks. No matter how much she had enjoyed the day, she couldn't keep her mind off of it.

"I'm sorry, I keep talking about this. But I was just thinking that I'm gonna try to fix Sophia's room next week. I can't call the social services on them for a broken crib and smokin'. An'… Fuck, I need the job. So, I guess I'll have to fix it myself. I could get some supplies from friends… and Sophia's mum offered me some money, so… maybe I could start before I pick her up from nursery-" Charlie interrupted her rambling.

"You wanna build a new crib and renovate an entire room all by yourself? While looking after a baby? You? You all on your own?"

"Uhm, I gueeess," she replied unsure.


End file.
